A LARGE BRONZE 'MONEY TREE' WITH GREEN-GLAZED RED POTTERY BASEEastern Han dynasty (A.D. 25-220) posed of six stalks stacked to form the tree trunk, each section hollowly cast with a bear at the center of a fringed disc below a cross-form receptacle for stacking and to receive four branches, the six tiers of branches decorated with repeating flat discs and many dragons, phoenixes, mythical creatures, banners, and coins, the top of the tree seated a monkey on a large disc playing with a flowering tree, the bronze delicately cast on both sides and now covered with green encrustations, supported by a red pottery base covered with iridescent green glaze, molded with two mythical beasts climbing on a mountain of stringed coins. Approximately 60in (152.4cm) high 東漢 青銅陶座搖錢樹 Provenance: China Gallery, New York, 2006 Published: Collection 2006 , China Gallery, New York, 2006 來源： 紐約China Gallery，2006年 出版： Collection 2006 , China Gallery, 紐約, 2006年 As a mingqi , the 'Money Tree' represents a passageway for the deceased to enter the celestial realm with wealth and eternal life. Archaeological discoveries indicate that they were most popular in Southwestern China, especially in Sichuan province during the Eastern Han (A.D. 25-220) through the early Three Kingdoms (A.D. 221-263) periods. However, their origin and meaning remain a mystery. Decorative motifs on the tree are often closely associated with local deities, such as the Queen Mother of the West, animal of the four directions, and creatures representing the power of nature, many of which were later absorbed into the Daoist pantheon. Occasionally, a seated Buddha replaces the bear image on the tree trunk, indicating the early stage of Buddhism's entry into China. The bronze branches are thinly cast in silhouettes of mystical creatures, decorated with an abundance of 'coin' motifs which is recognized by their circular outline and square aperture, the same form as the wuzhu currency which was issued in the Western Han dynasty and continued to be in wide circulation for several hundred years. The bronze tree, once assembled,prises four bronze branches on each tier, supported by a pottery or stone base and finishes with a single bronze plaque on top. The fantastic creatures, immortals, lacey openwork all arranged with the up-rising motion - the luring mysterious ambience very much captures our imaginations today. One of the well-preserved examples found in an Eastern Han tomb, excavated in 1972 in Pengshan, Sichuan province, is illustrated by Z.X. Sun, in the catalogue of special exhibition organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties , New York, 2017, pp. 217-218, no. 135. Examples of 'Money Trees' can be found in museum collections around the world.pare the 'Money Tree' from the Princeton University Art Museum, illustrated by C. Liu in the catalogue of special exhi